Product Details
Factory Lightweights: Detroit's Drag Racing Specials of the '60s

Factory Lightweights: Detroit's Drag Racing Specials of the '60s
By Charles Morris

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Average customer review:
Mr. Morris does a great job of covering the history of factory lightweight drag racing vehicles, taking you through the 1960s in ten yearly chapters (plus an epilogue).

The lightweight drag racing exploits of most of the major manufacturers are covered - even the beginning of funny cars.

The book is written in an easily-read style with a very generous amount of on- and off-track photos (250 color and 150 black & white).

The reader is even treated to several "behind the scenes" stories and events!

This book will be a joy for the door slammer fans to read!

I believe "Factory Lightweights" is the most enjoyable book about lightweight factory cars that I've ever read!

The 180 page, 9" x 9" softbound book has just enough technical information to get the details correct, but without making it seem like you are reading a textbook. The photos balance the book well and make this one a winner! You'll be glad to have this book in your library!

David Dilbeck

Editor, GeorgiaDragRacing.com

Product Description

Factory Lightweights: Detroit's Drag Racing Specials of the '60s chronicles these rare cars that still inspire admirers and imitators today. Among racers it's never been a secret that a lighter car is a faster car--particularly in drag racing. When Detroit's automakers got involved in organized drag racing, they paid heed to this principle, issuing a series of rare race-only cars that became legends in their own time. Unbound by warranty and durability concerns, these wild cars featured lightweight additions such as fiberglass and aluminum body parts, Plexiglas windows and many more weight-saving tricks. Under their hoods were wicked, raucous engines that only felt at home on the quarter mile. Cars like the Ford Fairlane 427 Thunderbolt, Pontiac's Super Duty Catalina, Dyno Don Nicholson's Chevy II Wagon, and a whole assortment of Hemi-powered Mopars sit at the top of the heap when you're talking about the fastest American musclecars produced during the 1960s. Few of these cars were produced and very few still survive today. 

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #77744 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-08-15
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 160 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
Mustangs & Fords, September 2007
 
'This new title is an interesting read for any Ford fan of the Total Performance era."  


Hemmings Muscle Machines, September 2007
 
"A good one for your gearhead library."  

About the Author
  Charles R. Morris is a 57-year-old resident of Normandy Beach, NJ and has
been a fan of drag racing since 1960. His personal drag racing experience
began in 1966 and includes competition in Stock, Super Stock, and Nostalgia Super Stock classes. He has been a contributor to various automotive publications for more than 17 years and is currently a writer for Legendary Ford magazine. Charlie has owned and restored a number of classic automobiles, including a factory lightweight racecar. Other interests
include scuba diving, military aircraft, history, and pets.  

Customer Reviews

Factory Lightweights5
Excellent reference for the factory lightweight drag cars. Contains several historical pictures that are awesome to review.

Factory lightweights5
Just when I thought I knew most of the answers about those wonderful days when drag racing really was about buying on monday what we saw racing on the weekend, here comes a book that brings back all of those cars I loved to watch, that later inspired me to race both my '69 Mustang as well as my '71 Ranchero. To top it all off there was info new to me too. Great book.

Thoroughly researched book4
I have several of Charlie Morris' books and find that this one every bit as good as the others. Charlie does his homework when researching the subject matter. I recommend all of his books including "Total Performers, Ford Drag Racing in the Sixties".

R.L. "Pete" Garramone